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Study: 40% of Officers Have Sleep Disorder

A survey of U.S. and Canadian police officers reveals that 40% of respondents suffer from a sleep disorder that may cause health issues, affect job performance, or create safety issues.

The most common officer sleep disorders reported were insomnia or obstructed sleep apnia, according to the survey published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Of the 4957 participants, 40.4% experiance at least one sleep disorder, most of whom had not been diagnosed previously. Also, 33.6% screened positive for obstructive sleep apnea, 6.5% for moderate to severe insomnia, and 5.4% for shift work disorder (14.5% of those who worked the night shift).

Of the 4608 participants who completed the sleepiness scale, 28.5% reported excessive sleepiness. Also, 26.1% reported falling asleep while driving at least once a month.

A former police officer—now an elected official with the Missouri House of Representatives—wants to force any city with a population of 5,000 or fewer inhabitants, with an area of less than two square miles, to disband its police department and contract for law enforcement services with either the county police department or a larger neighboring city.